The invention relates generally to a portable system for establishing a temporary roadway checkpoint for investigating entry and egress therethrough, with communication linkage to verification databases. More particularly, the invention relates to a system of sensor-equipped portals through which a vehicle passes while being inspected, each portal being foldable into a shipping container configuration.
The frequency of terrorist incidents that employ an improvised explosive device (IED) has increased dramatically since 1998, according to the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism at http://www.tkb.org/Home.jsp. Mitigating this threat to life and property necessitates improved inspection of road-mobile vehicles that harbor such IEDs, as well as their occupants who clandestinely deploy them.
Unscheduled investigation of a vehicle traveling along a road typically necessitates tradeoffs that exacerbate the ability to intercept and mitigate against nefarious activities injurious to civil society, e.g., transport of contraband, deployment of improvised explosive devices, escape of individuals sought for custody, etc.
A roadblock checkpoint may entail risk to personnel for investigating a detained vehicle. Such an impromptu arrangement may locally lack information resources to identify any occupants or verify the vehicle's status. Moreover, the time devoted to such investigation may be curtailed to mitigate traffic impedance, resulting in reduced interception of intended targets. Static checkpoints for fixed installations with a more complete range of investigative tools may not be suitable for evasive targets.
Currently, modular checkpoints have been established to provide stations for screening individual persons seeking to enter a controlled area, such as an airport terminal. Such art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,106,192 to Johnson et al. and 7,102,512 to Pendergraft.